Q&A – Cash Transfers in South Central Somalia.

Context: In recent months, it has become clear that many populations in Southern Somalia are under increasing and severe food access stress. The situation has been further exacerbated by the absence of large-scale food aid, as well as rising global food prices, the worsening drought and its impact on agriculture and livestock. A solution is desperately needed, yet the conflict and extreme insecurity in South Central Somalia pose both political and logistical difficulties.

There is evidence both in Somalia and other contexts that cash transfers can successfully increase access to food and other basic needs, largely because it is a flexible resource transfer. Scaling up the delivery of cash programming in Somalia’s South Central regions can – paired with due diligence on the part of aid agencies – address increasing food insecurity needs.

A Q&A on cash transfers in South Central Somalia.